Important Travel Costs Questions

Hi there, I absolutely love everything about Durham lol it may sound stupid but literally I can't find something I don't like. The location, the colleges, the course structure (for Chemistry) and the extra curricular. I have been told I won't like it because it is full of posh people lol but tbh I get on with anyone, I don't believe it but even if it is true I don't see the problem.

My question is, there is an open day during the summer that I really want to go to. To check out the area and to check the labs and stuff. The problem is the cost of travel. Does anyone know, roughly, the cost from London to Durham University? Train or alternatives. I don't care if it takes longer (within reason) as long as it is cheaper lol. It is already 5 hours. another hour or two won't make a big difference. It would be a big help. I got scared when I saw £110 online and i'm hoping thats an error lol. If I got in, I'd pretty much live there so travel would be less of a bother but atm I do need to visit so any help greatly appreciated.

Just in case anyone is interested, I am looking to apply for Chemistry.

Reply 1

generic hybrid

It's not too difficult to get cheaper tickets than that.

- Get a railcard.
- Book ahead of time.
- Check lots of different websites (The Train Line, National Rail, all the train company websites).
- Try splitting your ticket up (ie. London to Peterborough, Peterborough to Durham).
- Be flexible about the times and dates you travel, if possible.

When I came back up to Durham last week I saw prices that high as well, but after a bit of digging I managed to do it for about £25 instead. :h:

You could always get the Megabus to Newcastle as well, which I think costs about £20, but takes a while.

Durham University

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Reply 2

Billy Bryant

thank you, very helpful lol. at least i know theres hope now. i dont mind travelling longer tbh. price is the main issue. do you know if that megabus thing is return or not?

Reply 3

Boo_2

I live in Bristol and when I travel to/from Durham (5hrs on a cross country train) I usually pay about £17 - £30 for a ticket as long as I get it far enough in advance!! I'm sure it would be a similar case coming from London. Try looking at prices of tickets a couple of months ahead...

Reply 4

hypocriticaljap

12 weeks ahead is the optimum time. That's when the train companies release the tkts.

Reply 5

Billy Bryant

yea atm i'm about 2 and a half months early atm trying to see if i can actually afford it before i get too excited about it. it's residential aswell lol so there first day really is to get there and sleep. although im sure theres something i would have to do :/. I will check out the megabus stuff on the weekend then (college atm, so tiring) and the train stuff end of next month i suppose.

well ill check it out before then but i mean thats when i'll be looking properly and will have to have the money by lol. saving time. I really wish I hadn't gone to Chessington in the half term with the absolute last of my money lol. Thanks guys (and gals). Been really helpful.

Reply 6

LastGrape

My rule is a month or more before I plan to go. I think £20-30 is what I usually get for London return. I do have a student(young persons) railcard that you have to pay for but save up to 33% on most trips.

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk is my secret in finding the cheapest ticket (it really does tell you and you select your time of day based on price). So good that I use it for journeys not involving National Express trains (although you can miss out on network discounts).

Megabus you will still need to get a train from Newcastle to Durham which can add £3-6 plus too much time for value. £110 seems real for leaving the same week you buy the ticket (try the same day, at the station, wohoa!)

Reply 7

Billy Bryant

yea but £110 was when ordering two months in advance lol thank you very much for your help. I sort of need to go on a certain day because its a university open day.

Reply 8

Aula

Billy Bryant

yea but £110 was when ordering two months in advance lol thank you very much for your help. I sort of need to go on a certain day because its a university open day.

look at this website http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/, put the details in, and you should get a reasonable result.

(though it's only got up to the 9th July, so if you're wanting to book further ahead than that, then you should sign up to the e-mail, which'll let you know when tickets are released for when you want to book)

Reply 9

Billy Bryant

Thank you, I took a look at the site. it comes yo about 50-something which is a lot better but still not great lol. The megabus would cost around £30 max but would be really long :/ might be the way to go though. Since the extra £20 for trains only save a couple of hours.

Reply 10

astro67

Have you been in touch with the department about this? It's a long shot but if you tell them what you've told us, they might make a contribution. No promises, mind.

Reply 11

LastGrape

How much cheaper is it if you say you have a Student/Young-Persons railcard? This costs £26 a year from http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/

If you are sure you are going to Durham(or any other UK uni actually) and will get the train home at least once a year (e.g. Christmas or Easter holiday) then I would get the 3 year for £65. Otherwise get the 1 year and then get the 3 year next year.
My parents drop me off and pick me up at the start/end of the full year, but it's great savings for the holidays and random trips to 'burst the Durham bubble'.

Reply 12

*River

I live about an hour south of London, and I get returns for £45 as long as I'm flexible (with YP railcard).

Split-ticketing isn't usually much cheaper on East Coast trains (which includes the London-Durham service) because of their ticket structure, but if there are no advance fares left from Durham then it's worth checking to see if it's cheaper to break your journey at Darlington (I usually find this is cheaper than doing it at York, probably because nobody wants to go to Darlo :p: